Fabian Delph has been explaining the scientific approach he took to turning down a move to Stoke City in the summer of 2017.

The Manchester City and England star was then manager Mark Hughes’ main target ahead of the Potters’ relegation season, having struggled for game time at the Etihad under Pep Guardiola.

Delph made just two league starts in Guardiola’s first season, and his decision to stay and fight for a place raised plenty of eyebrows.

But in an interview with the Telegraph, Delph explains how he sat down with his wife, Natalie, and a couple of close friends to talk through the pros and cons of a move. They even drew up a spreadsheet listing all the reasons for staying put or moving on.

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He explained: “We probably had an hour’s conversation, and it didn’t sit right with me that I wouldn’t give it that one last chance.

“I’ve always believed that if you work hard you will get your rewards, so we decided we would give it another go and eventually, when the opportunity did come, make sure I was 100 per cent ready to take it.”

The rest, as they say, is history.

Delph was suddenly thrust into action as a left-back following a cruciate injury to Benjamin Mendy, and went on to make 29 appearances in all competitions as City won the Premier League title with a record points total.

He adds: “Obviously it would have been a massive disappointment if I’d left at that time because I knew what the club was going to go on to do.

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“It was scary to see. I was looking at these guys thinking, ‘Wow, what you could go on to be in the next two, three years’ and I wanted to be part of that. To give it up would have been very difficult and I’m glad I never did.”

Charlie Adam famously had a word in Delph’s ear about the merits of leaving Manchester City to become his club-mate at Stoke.

Adam, who bumped into Delph when he went to watch Manchester City take on Everton in August of 2017, told BBC Radio 5Live: “I spoke to him and asked what he was thinking. He said Guardiola was happy for him to stay.

“I said, ‘If you come to us you’ll enjoy it but why would you leave Man City? The amount of games they play, the injuries they get, you’re going to get an opportunity’.”